Wire fence



` @No Model.) Y

E. F. SHELj- L'ABBRGER. 'WIRE FENCE.

No. 522,536@ Patented July 3, 1894.

,Zim/Mv y UNITED STATEsPATENT OFFICE EDWARD SHELLABERGER, OF DE KALB, ILLINOIS.

WIRE FENCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 522,536, dated July 3, 1894.

Application led April 2, 1894:. i Serial No. 506,109. (No model.) I.

To a/ZZ whom. it may concern: i

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. SHELLA- BERGER, of De Kalb, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire Fences, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in a wire fence composed of a plurality of parallel cables or strands connected transversely to the cables by stay wires composed of a plurality of wires twisted together to form cable pickets. In fences .of this character it is desirable to so connect the stay or tie wires, or pickets as they may be termed, with the cable strands as to maintain the parallelism of the latter at all times. This is important in order to prevent the separation of the cable strands in stretching,r and to prevent their separation by the attempt of animals to es-` cape between them. It is also desirableto so connect the tie or stay wires with the cable strands as to permit a slight angular adjustment of the former with relation to the latter when stretching thefence over uneven ground.

My present improvement attains these desir- I able ends in a smiple and economical manner.

In 4the accompanying drawings, Figure l shows portions of two strand wires stayed and connected transversely by means of a cabled picket. Fig. 2 shows one cable strand with two stay pickets applied thereto, the wire of which one of the pickets is formed being carried along the cable strand a suitable distance and there deflected to form a second picket. Fig. 3 shows the preferred form of connecting the picket .with the top -cable strand. Fig. et v shows an alternative construction. shows a panel of fence erected.

In carrying fout my inventionI form the fence of any desired width by the employment of a series of parallel cable strands A, the individual wires of one of the strands being marked b, c. At suitable intervals I connect the parallel cable strands by means of a series of transverse pickets, staysV or ties, each composed of a'plurality of strands d, e. Each Fig. 5

picket or stay is interlockedwith the several cables iut-he .following manner: The strands of the cable are-so twisted'as to embrace one of the strands of the picketor stay, and the two strands of the picket or stay are also twisted so as to embrace one of the strandsof ployed between each pair of cable strands, the

portions of the picket on each side of the twisting point being twisted in reverse directions. Instead of this construction however, a continuous twist may be employed.

In Fig. 2 two adjacent pickets or stays are shown as formed from the same continuous wire, an end of the wire being shown as engaged with the body of the picket, at g, while a portion of the same wire, marked h, is carried parallel to the cable strand to the point where the next picket is formed and is thence carried transversely of the cables, and after theformation Vof that picket the leading end of the wire is continued to the next and so on. In this way the series of pickets are formed from a single wire.

`The preferred construction, however, is shown in Fig. 3, in which construction a wire is doubled upon itself so as to form a picket of suitable length to extend transversely across the series of cables, and before its strands are intertwisted one of the cable strands is laid into the loop i, while the fellow strand is twisted so as to embrace one of the strands as before mentioned.

picket that this manner of connecting the pickets .with the cable strands permits of a slight turningof the picket and cable with reference to each other, while the points of connection between anyone picket and two adjacent strands arel preserved a uniform distance apart. In other words, the cables .cannot move up and down on the pickets and the pickets cannot move or slide lengthwise of the cables. The interlocking is, therefore, positive with respect to such movements, while it is flexible to the necessary extent to permit the fence to be stretched upv over uneven ground. The interlocking prevents any sagging or drawing of the cable strands intermediate the pickets, and also prevents the separation of the cable strands by animals, such as swine, whose habit IOO is to attempt to force their Way between adjoining cable strands.

I am aware that Wire field fences have been made in which a plurality of strand Wires, suitably braced by transverse stay Wires, has been used, and that in some instances these stays were composed of a plurality ofA Wires. I am also aware that such fences have been constructed having a single stay wire provided with hooks, loops or bends to engage the cable loosely, so as to permit stretching up Without buckling or bending of the stay wires.

The advantage of the present construction is in the simplicity of the manufacture and in the additional security of the connection whereby separation of the parts in use is impossible.

Without limiting my invention to the precise details of construction, I claim* y 1. A Wire fence composed of a series of cable strands and a series of stays or pickets, each composed of a plurality of Wires, the strands of the cable embracing one of the strands of the picket and the strands ot the picket embracing one of the strands of the cable, substantially as described.

2. A Wire fence composed of a plurality of cables and a plurality of transverse pickets or stays, said cables and said stays each being composed of a plurality of Wires and the strands of cach cable embracing one of the strands of the picket and the strands of the picket embracing one of the strands of each of the cables at its point of crossing thereof", substantially as described.

EDVARD F. SIIELLABERGER.

Witnesses:

W. F. WILTBERGER, E. S. HUNT. 

